I bought one under the Orion brand. I had to ship it back. It lacked proper tension. When I changed out a heavy eyepiece, the scope wanted to pitch forward. I called up Orion and they admitted to me that the tension knob won't work to completely lock off the mount.

Thanks for the info, Sir!
If only they could resolve that tension adjust issue...

It's really a shame. That was the Achilles Heel of the mount. I did find that when I mounted my Meade 80mm all by itself and then properly balanced it, the mount was superb. I could move the scope in any direction just by lightly pushing the diagonal with a single finger. When I stopped, it stopped. Very fluid.

And the people at Orion were great. They understood my problem and allowed me to send it back to them for a full refund. I bought it when they had heavily discounted it. They even promised that if I ever want to buy another, they'll provide me with the same discount. Can't ask for much more when it comes to customer service.

The problem is how the tension knobs work. I've been told that improvements are on the way. If they do fix this problem, I'll get another one.

Well, first, it's not available. I checked it out months ago it it read the same, that it's backordered. Second, the salesman I just spoke with at OPT told me these Tak AZ mounts are not designed for heavy loads. Plus at nearly a grand just for the head, it's way out of the ballpark of my budget.

The Orion was able to handle my longest as well as heaviest scope which is the C4-R which now sports a Moonlite focuser plus two finders. I carried it so well that I saw hardly any vibration.

I really miss that mount. Oh well....

Attached Files

I checked with OPT and they don't have what's called a Teegul. They do sell the Takahashi TG-LMLT Lapides Modified Alt-Az Mount in green. It comes with a tripod although I don't know which one. It reads: "We're sorry... But manufacturer specifications are currently unavailable for this product." It runs $799. They also say it's drop shipped, but don't say from where. Anyone have one who can post a photo showing what tripod is included?

Starlighter,

That's the modified Lapides Teegul. Can't help you on the tripod although I seem to remember seeing a photo somewhere. Had aluminum legs.

Texas Nautical is the authorized distributor. I think both Anacortes & OPT have them ship direct. You might also note the Texas has the green Teegul listed for @100 more-this comes with the Vixen type saddle bracket which I bought from Anacortes for $95, shipped.

I decided to email Orion technical support regarding the tension issue I had with their SkyView AZ mount. Here's their reply:

Thank you for providing valuable feedback regarding your recent return to Orion Telescopes and Binoculars. We have identified a manufacturing issue on the SkyView Pro AZ Mount that caused the mount to slip when changing accessories such as eyepieces or finder scopes. We have addressed this issue in all current inventory and have notified the supplier for shipments moving forward. I would like to take this opportunity to offer additional information regarding the product. The Altitude Tension knob was not designed to lock down the altitude axis of the mount. The improvement allows the necessary tension to change accessories; even at maximum payload without slippage. However, it is critical that your payload be properly balanced for best results. I appreciate your interest in our products and hope you would reconsider the SkyView Pro AZ mount in the future. I would be happy to answer any additional questions you may have.

Sincerely,

Richard Rothhouse

Orion Technical Support Lead

So, think I should try another? With the exception of the tension issue, this mount has it all over the far more expensive SV MG mount.

By the way, notice it has an 'N' on one of the legs as if marking north is important with an AZ mount. Same story with the SkyWatcher AZ mount. I get the feeling both companies took the tubular steel tripod right off an EQ mount.